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Local food bank worried about what will happen if extra $600 unemployment benefit expires or decreases

All eyes are on Washington as the extra $600 weekly jobless benefit is set to expire this week.

Just in Pennsylvania, the State Department of Labor and Industry released numbers on Monday saying that since March 15, over 3 million claims were filed, resulting in $30.6 billion in benefits and $14.5 billion in the federal unemployment compensation program alone.

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“While we’re proud of getting this money into the pockets of those who need it during this pandemic, we will not be truly satisfied until every person who is eligible is made whole,” said Jerry Oleksiak, Department of Labor and Industry secretary.

Just as the unemployment claims skyrocketed, so did the need from local county agencies — like the Westmoreland County Food Bank.

“Under normal circumstances, whatever that is anymore, we see about 7,000 households, but during the month of April, it definitely went up to 9,000,” said Jennifer Miller, CEO of the Westmoreland County Food Bank.

Miller said since then, the numbers have steadied, but with the extra $600 weekly payout set to expire, she’s worried about what’s to come in the weeks ahead.

“So taking that $600 dollars away, or decreasing that $600, really could impact families even more so because that $600 is making a big difference in what they can afford to help to feed their families,” Miller said.

But Congress is at a standstill and still working to hammer out a deal. Locally, officials worry there could be hurdles that could bog down the system, delaying future payments.

The federal unemployment compensation program ends on July 31.

The Senate only has about 10 days after that to decide on what’s next before they break for August recess.